Shoe



Oct. 1, 1940. E. T. BUMPOUS SHOE Filed Aug. 19, 1937 INVENTOR EARLE T. BUMPOUS H ,5 ATTORNEYS- Patented Oct. 1, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE Application August 19,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to shoes and particularly to a cushion insole for shoes.

Heretofore in the manufacture of shoes wherein a cushion insole has been employed it has 5 been the practice to employ cushion insoles made of materials which are relatively high in compressibility.

A material which has been used to a substantial extent in recent years has been sponge rubber. When sponge rubber is used in this connection, however, it is observed that the shoes embodying it seem to exhibit a sort of burning efiect upon the feet upon which they are worn. Moreover difficulties have been encountered in the fitting of such sponge rubber cushion insole shoes in view of the fact that such shoes seem to provide a smaller space for the feet than other shoes made upon the identical last.

In investigating the possible causes for such ill fitting of shoes embodying sponge rubber cushion insoles, it has been discovered that during the lasting operation when the upper materials are pulled over and secured to the sole the pressures are such as to compress the sponge rubber cushion to a substantial extent. Consequently when the shoe is removed from the last the sponge rubber resumes its original volume and hence subtracts from the space which would normally be provided for the feet.

It is an object of the present invention, generally stated, to provide a shoe having a cushion insole which, while providing adequate yieldability for cushioning and conforming to the feet, is, nevertheless, free of the objections above recited.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shoe having a cushion insole, and a method of making the same wherein the parts are so constructed and arranged that the margin of 40 the insole tends to cup slightly upward.

Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description is read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a cushion member for an insole made in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an insole constructed according to the present invention with the respective members separated to reveal the relation of the parts.

5 Figure 4 is a view in side elevation of a cush- 1937, Serial N0. 159,892

ion insole constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of Figure 4.

In accordance with the present invention, generally stated, an insole for shoes is made up of a plurality of members, one of which is a cushioning member. The present invention contemplates that such cushioning member be made of a material which is herein characterized as rubber-enmatriced cork. The expression "rubber-enmatriced cork" as used in this specification and the appended claims is intended to mean a material in which particles of granulated cork are embedded and firmly secured in u a matrix of rubber, the cork being present in greater proportion than the rubber by volume. Such a material may be conveniently formed in sheets so that blanks of the desired size and shape for use in the cushion insoles of the pres so cut invention may be provided.

As an illustrative example of such rubberenmatriced cork, reference may be had to United States Patent No. 1,990,937, issued February 12, 1935 to D. H. Forbes. The material produced in 25 accordance with the disclosure of said patent consists of particles of granulated cork distribuated, embedded and firmly secured in a matrix of rubber and thereafter vulcanized. Such material is advantageous for use as the cushioning 30 member of a cushion insole in view of the fact that while it is compressible to the extent necessary or desirable in cushioning the feet in a shoe, it is, nevertheless, not so compressible as many of the materials heretofore used and con- 35 sequently in the lasting of shoes embodying cushion insoles of such rubber-enmatriced cork, difliculties heretofore encountered in the fitting of shoes and in the burning of feet are avoided.

A further feature of the present invention, however. resides in the constructing and arranging of the parts of the cushion insole so that the marginal portions of the insole will tend to cup inwardly to a slight extent. The utilization of rubber-enmatriced cork as the cushioning element makes possible the accomplishment of this result in a convenient manner. Such rubber-enmatriced cork is not only possessed of some elasticity but is also capable of being skived, cham fered and otherwise cut with a knife. In 8.0- 50 cordance with the present invention the cushioning element may be so constructed and arranged that when it is assembled with the other elements 01' the cushioning insole the cushioning element is under tension in such direction or directions as may tend to bow the entire assembly in the desired manner.

Referring now particularly to the drawing for an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the rubber-enmatriced cork material may be provided in the form of sheets from which cushion blanks, such as I may be died out. After the blank I has been died out of a sheet it may have its marginal portions chamfered as shown at 2.

The cushioning element I is then assembled with an insole 3 and a covering layer 4. In order to economically provide a covering layer 4 of the character desired, an insole of the desired weight may be skived so as to cut a thin lamel from one surface thereof. This part may then be reassembled with the cushioning element I intervening the main body of the insole and the lamel, which had been skived therefrom, as shown in Figure 3.

The cushioning element I may be arranged between the insole 3 and the covering layer 4 in such manner that the beveled surface of the chamfer 2 is on the side adjacent insole 3 as shown in Figure 3. The parts may then be suitably secured together either by adhesive or stitching or both, and when the beveled portions of chamfer 2 are secured in contiguous relation with the surface of insole 3 the rubber-enmatriced cork will be put under tension due to the stretching of the upper strata of cushioning element I when the beveled portion is forced into contiguity with insole 3. While in the drawing the cushion element is shown as being provided with such a chamfer 2 entirely about its margins, it is to be understood that such chamfer may be confined to certain zones wherein it is desired to accomplish the cupping without necessarily having it extend throughout the margin as shown.

Moreover, further cupping of the insole in any direction may be accomplished by placing the cushioning member under a positive tension before it is connected to the other parts and then, while the cushion member remains under tension, stitching the parts together as by line of stitching 5. Consequently if it is desired to bow the insole longitudinally, the cushion element may be stretched longitudinally and stitched while stretched.

From the foregoing description it should be apparent that the invention accomplishes its objects and that a shoe having a cushion insole may be provided in accordance with this invention without necessitating that the manufacturer of such shoes take into account and make alterations in lasts in order to be assured that the shoes will prope rly fit, or, in other words, that the foot space within the shoe having the cushion insole will be comparable to the foot space within the same size shoe without the cushion insole. The rubber-enmatriced cork which the present invention contemplates using as the cushion member of such insoles, while of sufficient compressibility to substantially conform and cushion the foot, is, nevertheless, not so compressible that manufacturing difliculties and fitting difficulties are encountered.

While in the foregoing disclosure reference has been made to a specific embodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that various modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention. It is to be distinctly understood, therefore, that such modifications and the use of such individual features and sub-combinations of features as do not depart from the spirit of this invention are, although not specifically described herein, contemplated by and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a shoe, an insole, and a cushion layer superposed on said insole, said cushion layer being composed of rubber-enmatriced cork, the margins of said cushion layer being chamfered on the surface adjacent said insole, and means connecting the beveled faces of said chamfered mar gins in contiguity with the face of said insole so as to laterally bow the insole.

2. In a shoe, an insole, and a cushion layer superposed on said insole. said cushion layer being composed of rubber-enmatriced cork, the margins of said cushion layer being chamfered on the face adjacent the insole, a leather layer overlying said cushion layer in contact with the unchamfered face thereof, and means connecting said insole, cushion and leather layers together at the chamfer so as to laterally how the insole.

EARLE T. BUMPOUS.

CERTIFICATE CF CQRRECTI ON,

Patent No. 2,21 6,226. October 1, 1911.0.

EARLE T. BUHPO"S It is'hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring corrertion a 3 follows: Page 1, sepond column, 7 line on, for the word "inwardly" reeo -upwardly-- and that the said Letter Patent shOLld be read with this eovrrection therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 5rd day of Decanber, A I). 19140.

Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

